I know I've said this before, but the best part of making huge hams is the leftover ham. I felt in the mood for something hearty and spicy and so I began rummaging around the kitchen for the necessary ingredients. Despite fairly slim pickings, I managed to scrounge up everything I needed for a nice lentil dish.
I thought it would be nice to do a combination of cuisines. The lentils, Masoor Daal, I picked up on Devon Avenue in Chicago which has a large Indian and Pakistani population. Immediately I began dreaming up spicy stews filled with spinach and potatoes, with redolent flavors of coriander. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, I didn't have any spinach or potatoes, and it hardly seemed right to make an Indian dish with ham. I would not be defeated.
The basic concept of this dish came to me when I thought about split pea and ham soup, a classic combination of pork and legumes. I discovered little butter mushrooms and red bell peppers hiding in the fridge and decided that they would add some richness and complexity to the dish, with the mushrooms providing an earthy savory element and the peppers contributing sweet piquancy.
Instead of relying merely on the classic sub-continent spices of cumin, coriander and turmeric I decided to mix things up and adapt it to what I would consider cuisine of Spain, specifically Castilla y Leon. Lentils have a rich history in Spanish cuisine and the Spanish certainly enjoy their swine. I think the final dish turned out quite well and I accompanied it with some brown rice and broccoli. The wine you see in the picture is the 2005 Couly Duthiel "Baronnie Madelaine" Chinon. The rich dark fruit notes and earthy/spicy finish complemented the dish very well. Cabernet Franc is always one of my favorite red pairings with spicy piquant food. ¡Salud!
Spanish Lentils and Ham
1 lb diced ham
1 cup of lentils
2 cloves of garlic, diced
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 lb of quartered butter (button) mushrooms
1 red bell pepper sliced in strips
3 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons hot paprika
Pinch of saffron
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon African chilli powder (substitute with any lightly toasted chilli powder)
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to a good stew pot. Slowly cook the garlic until it begins to release its oils, about two minutes. Add the mushrooms, the peppers and sautee until they begin to soften. Add the lentils, coriander, paprika, chilli powder and salt and mix them in well. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Make a mixture of hot water and the saffron threads, roughly crushed between your fingers, and allow it to steep for a few moments. After about 10 minutes of cooking, add the ham pieces and the saffron mixture. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Add ground pepper to taste.
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